Headwear may be utilized to shield a wearer from environmental hazards, such as sunlight, debris, rain, etc. Wide-brimmed hats may provide more protection from such hazards, but may be bulkier than other styles of hats, such as caps with visors. However, in general, any type of hat may benefit from being folded for compact storage.
Hat brims may include rigid or semi-rigid material to maintain or bias a particular brim shape. In order to promote folding of hats including such hat brims, some hats, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,051 (Lee) and U.S. Pat. No. 742,731 (Plato) include splits in a top of a brim to allow the brim of the hat to fold downward (e.g., in a direction toward a wearer's face). However, the inventors have recognized that such configurations often result in a deformation of the hat brim when worn in the standard (e.g., unfolded) condition. For example, the hat brim may tend to peak around the split, creating an “A-Frame” appearance, rather than an intended smooth curve or flat brim appearance. Further, in such hats, a crown typically extends above the brim. By folding the brim downward and away from the crown, the crown is forced further upward, limiting the amount of compactness afforded to the hat via the folding operation.